PHILADELPHIA -- Long snappers are the most overlooked starters in the NFL until they mess up or get hurt.The Philadelphia Eagles were down to the No. 3 guy on their depth chart after Jon Dorenbos broke his wrist and backup Brent Celek suffered a stinger in a 27-22 loss to Washington last Sunday.Things got comical at that point.Linebacker Mychal Kendricks decided to try out for the job on the sideline. Defensive end Bryan Braman also attempted a few snaps.But versatile tight end Trey Burton got the call in a clutch spot in the fourth quarter. Burtons snap sailed high, punter Donnie Jones reached up to make the catch and put it down in time for Caleb Sturgis to stutter-step and kick a 41-yard field goal that gave the Eagles a short-lived lead.Donnie made an unbelievable play, Burton said. Hes obviously really good at what he does.Celeks only snap on a 50-yard field goal try was low and Jones couldnt handle it. Neither Celek nor Burton knew kicking balls arent the same as game balls. Theyre much slicker.I dont know why they do that, but it was real waxy, Celek said.The Eagles signed Rick Lovato to replace Dorenbos, who had played in 162 straight games since 2006. Celek and Burton now plan to snap a little more in practice. They may even use kicking balls.I havent done it since training camp, Burton said.Lovato played two games for the Redskins last month after Nick Sundberg was injured. Washingtons emergency long snapper is backup quarterback Colt McCoy. He doesnt fit the profile for the position, but McCoy volunteered for the job in the summer.I told them I could do it, which was a lie, McCoy said. Ive never done it before. But when I went out to do it, I was good at it. I was serviceable. Ive gotten a lot better ever since, and if they need me, Ill step in and do it.McCoy also is the backup punter and holder.We tried everybody who had shoulder pads -- everybody who was dressed, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. Hes pretty good actually. Not much of a blocker, but hes pretty good.The Ravens once turned to star defensive tackle Haloti Ngata after Morgan Cox tore his right ACL in a game in 2014. Ngatas snap on an extra point was successful. Baltimore almost used running back Willis McGahee when Cox tore his left ACL in a game in 2010, but Cox finished the game out.Most teams have more traditional backups -- linemen, tight ends, linebackers.Travis Kelce, a 2015 Pro Bowl tight end, is one of Kansas Citys backups. His brother, Jason Kelce, is Philadelphias starting center. But snapping the ball on punts and kicks is a different, tougher task. Thats why Travis Kelce is the Chiefs No. 2 guy on punts and fullback Anthony Sherman is the backup on kicks.The idea behind using both guys is that its so hard to be a snapper, to do a long snap and then shift to a short snap so I just wanted Kelce to focus on long snapping and then Sherman is another guy that we can use in a short snapping situation, Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub said.Long snappers have to fire spirals to a punter standing 15 yards away and to a holder 7 or 8 yards deep. It requires speed and perfect placement because timing is crucial for kickers.Those guys are specialists for a reason and theyre so good and you dont realize how bad youre going to miss them until something like that happens, Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said.Tanner Purdum has been New Yorks long snapper since 2010. Jason Taylor, the six-time Pro Bowl defensive end, was Purdums backup that year. But Boyer wouldnt reveal what the team would do in an emergency now.Its a scary deal if youre in our position, said Boyer, who played with Eagles special teams coach Dave Fipp in college at Arizona. Thats a doomsday scenario, for sure.NFL teams didnt always dedicate a roster spot to a player who was only a long snapper. They used guys who also played other positions. Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews was a long snapper throughout his career for Houston/Tennessee. His son, Jake Matthews, is Atlantas starting left tackle and backup long snapper behind Josh Harris.Ive been doing it since like peewee, Jake Matthews said. My dad did it forever in the league. That was one of the first things he taught us because its definitely got a lot value. It can take you a long way.Thats why Kendricks started practicing on his own earlier this season with the Eagles after his playing time on defense was reduced.The more you can do, the longer you can stay in the league, Kendricks said.The role has become so specialized that each team has a player who serves only as a long snapper. The Denver Broncos even have two long snappers on their roster because Casey Kreiter strained a calf a month ago so they signed veteran Thomas Gafford.---AP Pro Football Writers Arnie Stapleton and Teresa M. Walker and AP Sports Writers Stephen Whyno, David Skretta, Josh Dubow, Dennis Waszak, Dave Ginsburg, Steven Wine, Charles Odum, John Wawrow and Tom Canavan contributed to this report.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP-RobMaaddi Sam Mills Jersey . 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Sagbo did well to control Sone Alukos right cross and fire past Brighton goalkeeper Peter Brezovan. Aluko was making his first start in four months after recovering from an Achilles injury. ORLANDO, Fla. -- Running back Arian Foster had a 2-yard touchdown run in the Miami Dolphins 17-6 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.Foster, who joined the Dolphins during the offseason and is coming off an Achilles injury, had his most extensive playing time with his new team in the third preseason game that was played at Orlandos Camping World Stadium.Its just a testament to the work we have been putting in, it is doing the work every single day, Foster said. We keep getting better, taking each opportunity to give back.The four-time Pro Bowl running back played in just one series in the first half, but he made the most of the limited opportunities by sparking the Dolphins to their lone touchdown drive of the half with five carries for 10 yards, capped by his 2-yard scoring run early in the second quarter.The Dolphins are taking a cautious approach with Foster, who hasnt played a full season since 2012 with Houston. The former Texans star didnt play in the Dolphins preseason opener and had just two carries for minus-5 yards last week against Dallas.There was a couple of situations where we got him the ball and just getting him into a rhythm and used to the flow of the game was good for him, Miami coach Adam Gase said.I just wanted to see him get hit a few times to make sure hes going to be back for the first game. He wont play next week.With Foster expected to challenge second-year running back Jay Ajayi in the Dolphins backfield this season, Gase came into Thursday nights game wanting a little more to evaluate Foster on.Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, coming off an impressive outing against the Cowboys, didnt put his team in many scoring positions, but he did move the ball effectively.He completed 20 of 29 passes for 155 yards while leading the Dolphins to a score in one of two red zone opportunities.Last week against the Cowboys, Tannehill led the offense to scores in two of three trips into the red zone.Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, meanwhile, took a step back from his showing last week against Cleveland. He completed 12 of 22 passes for 129 yarrds, no touchdowns and one interception.ddddddddddddThe Falcons couldnt get much going and wide receiver Julio Jones left in the second quarter with an ankle injury.The Dolphins defense, led by a strong push from defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and the return of defensive end Cameron Wake, kept the Falcons out of the end zone.Suh left the game with an ankle injury during the first half.ROOKIE WATCHFalcons: Safety Keanu Neal had five tackles and had one tackle for loss before leaving the game with an injury. Linebacker Deion Jones, who is competing for a starting job, had five tackles and a quarterback hurry.Dolphins: Rookie left guard Laremy Tunsil continued to play well. Safety A.J. Hendy had three tackles in the secondary and also had a nice hit on special teams.POSITION BATTLESFalcons: Receiver Mohamed Sanu had two catches for 19 yards on three targets during the first three quarters, while Justin Hardy had just one catch for 11 yards in four targets as the two compete for the No. 2 receiver spot.Dolphins: Center Anthony Steen got the start over injured veteran Mike Pouncey and played well except for a bad snap that resulted in a fumble during the first half.INJURY UPDATEFalcons: Safety Keanu Neal went down late in the first quarter with a knee injury. Defensive end Adrian Clayborn suffered a shoulder injury in the first half. Julio Jones left with an ankle injury and defensive end Dwight Freeney did not make the trip because of a shoulder injury.Dolphins: Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh left the game with an ankle injury. Running back Isaiah Pead suffered a hamstring injury and linebacker Jelani Jenkins injured his ankle.QUOTABLEFalcons: We are trying to create a standard for how we want to play, and how we want to operate and we didnt get to that standard tonight. -- Atlanta coach Dan QuinnDolphins: They did a good job. We have to clean a few things up. -- Miami coach Adam Gase on the Dolphins offensive performance in the first half. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '